Chapter 26: The Second World War, 1933-1945

How did the rise of fascism in Germany contribute to the outbreak of the Second World War?

-German leaders were able to rally support by promising to avenge Germany's defeat during World War I and the shame of the ensuing Treaty of Versailles. -Fascism led both Italy and Germany to attempt to develop new empires or further expand them. -The dissolution of democratic institutions during the German transition toward fascism put all major decision making under Hitler's discretion.

Identify the circumstances that enabled the U.S. Navy to triumph over the Japanese navy during the Battle of Midway.

-The ability of the U.S. Navy to decipher Japanese radio code enabled U.S. naval strategists to more effectively prepare for the engagement. -U.S. forces' preparations for the Battle of Midway surprised Japanese attackers.

Complete the passage below to describe the early months of World War II. Immediately following the German conquest of __1__ , World War II broke out, though the first three months of the war were a __1__. After the __1__ of 1940, the German armed forces implemented the __1__ and quickly overcame numerous nations in quick succession; the final result was the conquest of __1__ and the establishment of the __1__.

1 Poland 2 stalemate 3 winter 4 blitzkrieg 5 france 6 fascist Vichy regime

Complete the passage describing the U.S. embargo against exports to Japan. In late 1940, the government of Japan signed a mutual defense pact with Germany and Italy known as the __1__ . Japan also attempted to take control of French colonial holdings in __2__. In response, President Roosevelt enacted harsh trade restrictions on the Japanese Empire. He cut off __3__ shipments and barred Japanese ships from using the __4__. These events culminated in the Japanese attack on __5__ and the entrance of the United States into the war.

1 Tripartite Pact 2 Indochina 3 oil 4 Panama Canal 5 Pearl Harbor

Complete the passage below describing foreign fascist involvement in the Spanish Civil War. The Spanish Civil War erupted in 1936 with __1__ , which sent the fledgling Spanish republic into turmoil. __2__ and Italy sent __3__ to bolster Franco's __4__ forces, which ultimately overthrew the Spanish republic.

1 francisco franco's military coup 2 germany 3 troops and military support 4 fascist

Put in chronological order the German actions that led up to World War II.

1- Hitler becomes the chancellor of Germany. 2- Germany begins reconstructing its military arsenal in violation of the Versailles Treaty. 3- Germany sends troops to the demilitarized Rhineland in violation of the Versailles Treaty. 4- Germany, Italy, and Japan form the "Axis" alliance. 5- World War II begins after Germany invades Poland.

Put in chronological order the following Japanese actions in Asia.

1-Japanese forces occupy Manchuria, a territory in northeastern China. 2-Japan declares Manchuria independent from China and renames it "The Republic of Manchukuo." 3-The Japanese government accelerates the rate of its military buildup. 4-The clash at Marco Polo Bridge between Japanese and Chinese forces quickly evolves into the Sino-Japanese War.

Identify the nations and regions involved in the European run up to World War II.

ITALY -This nation was the first in Europe to be ruled by fascists. SOVIET UNION -This nation divided Poland with Germany. RHINELAND -Hitler moved troops into this demilitarized region in violation of the Versailles Treaty. AUSTRIA -Hitler forced the Anschluss, or union, of this nation with Germany. CZECHOSLOVAKIA -Hitler annexed this nation despite British and French efforts to appease Germany with the Munich Pact. GREAT BRITAIN -This major European power and key ally of France attempted to avoid war by appeasing Hitler. SPAIN -This fascist nation was not part of the "axis" alliance. POLAND -Germany's invasion of this nation resulted in declarations of war by Britain and France. FRANCE -Following the conquest of Poland, the Germans' use of the blitzkrieg strategy allowed for the rapid defeat of this major European power.

"The army is about to take me to fight for democracy ... but I would [rather] fight for democracy right here," said a black Detroit draftee. What does this quotation reveal about African Americans' views on the war?

Many african americans during the war commented on the irony of fighting against racist ideologies abroad.

How did Great Britain, France, and the United States react to Hitler's 1938 annexation of Austria?

Neither Britain, France, nor the United States took action to prevent the German annexation of Austria, which subsequently emboldened Hitler's desire to expand.

What was the effect of the United States' shifting to an industrial wartime economy?

One year after the United States entered the war, its military industrial production exceeded that of all three major Axis Powers combined.

What was the primary legacy of World War II relating to the size and role of the U.S. federal government during the postwar era?

Presidential authority increased in relation to the national legislature and state governments.

Match each event in the European run up to World War II with the nation or region in which it occurred.

Q- France A- Following the conquest of Poland, the Germans' use of the blitzkrieg strategy allowed for the rapid defeat of this major European power. Q- Italy A- This nation was the first in Europe to be ruled by fascists. Q- Great Britain A- This major European power and key ally of France attempted to avoid war by appeasing Hitler. Q- Austria A- Hitler forced the Anschluss, or union, of this nation with Germany. Q- Spain A- This fascist nation was not part of the "Axis" alliance. Q- Czechoslovakia A- Hitler annexed this nation despite British and French efforts to appease Germany with the Munich Pact. Q- Rhineland A- Hitler moved troops into this demilitarized region in violation of the Versailles Treaty. Q- Poland A- Germany's invasion of this nation resulted in declarations of war by Britain and France. Q- Soviet Union A- This nation divided Poland with Germany.

Identify the effects of the following attacks the United States launched to win the war in the Pacific.

Q- This action killed about 100,000 civilians and left more than a million homeless. A- firebombing of Tokyo Q- This resulted in the Japanese surrender. A- atomic bombing of Nagasaki Q- This was the first use of atomic weapons, which devastated its target in a single blast. A- atomic bombing of Hiroshima

British victory in the Battle of Britain, made possible in part through the use of radar, prevented a German invasion of the island nation. Following the victory, the United States provided Britain with additional supplies to fend off invasions through the Lend-Lease Act.

TRUE

General Douglas MacArthur and Admiral Chester Nimitz adopted the "leapfrogging" strategy, whereby U.S. forces avoided invading strategically unimportant islands, and instead exclusively bombed and shelled them using air- and seapower. This strategy enabled U.S. military strategists to cut off Japanese supply lines.

TRUE

In 1939, Congress passed the Neutrality Act of 1939 to allow Britain and France to send their own ships to the United States to bring back American military supplies. Which statement describes Americans' feelings about the war at the time this act was passed?

The American people wanted to arm and financially support nations opposing Germany and Japan, as long as those same powers fought the war and Americans did not.

Between 1931 and 1932, Japan quickly occupied and then annexed the province of Manchuria in China. This event initiated what would ultimately become the Sino-Japanese War. Which of the following was most significant in facilitating the successes of this Japanese military action?

The Japanese invasion coincided with the Chinese civil war between Mao Zedong's Communist forces and Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists.

Analyze this quotation from the New York Times concerning the use of an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. "Yesterday ... we clinched victory in the Pacific, but we sowed the whirlwind." Which of the following statements does it support?

The journalist feared that the United States, by using an atomic weapon to secure victory in World War II, had created a problem that would cultivate future conflicts.

German and Japanese leaders both claimed that their people were a superior race destined to dominate their respective regions.

True

The Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact helped lead Britain and France to declare war on Germany.

True

Before he died, President Roosevelt was committed to reviving the isolationist foreign policy posture popular before World War I.

false

Identify the wartime contributions of the following groups in American society.

Q- This group took part in the bracero program. A- Mexican nationals Q- This group used languages unknown to the Germans and Japanese to encode military messages. A- Native Americans Q- This group served in segregated units, including the highly decorated Tuskegee Airmen. A- African Americans who served in the armed forces Q- This group earned a higher percentage of Congressional Medals of Honor than any other minority group. A- Mexican Americans who served in the armed forces Q- Over half a million of this group moved from the South to work in war industries. A- African American civilians Q- More than 8 million of this group entered the civilian workforce during the war. A- women

Identify how America's involvement in World War II impacted Mexican Americans and Mexican migrant laborers.

-The increased interaction between Mexican Americans and white Americans in the western United States resulted in the "zoot suit riots." -The shortage of farm laborers during the war caused the United States to change immigration requirements for Mexicans. -The bracero program enabled over 200,000 Mexican citizens to work in the United States legally on one-year contracts during the course of the war.

How did the onset of the Second World War impact the role the U.S. federal government played in the lives of average Americans?

-The number of federal government employees multiplied by a factor of four to staff the newly created government agencies. -Women were integrated into the economy in large numbers to replace the labor force that was lost because of the need for fighting-age males. The federal government used promotional campaigns to encourage women to join the workforce. -The government instituted domestic rationing and price ceilings on goods in high demand. -The federal government demanded the war industries provide equal treatment in the hiring of minority workers.

How did the passage of the War Powers Act of 1941, which increased the power of the presidency, reshape American society?

-The president gained the power to authorize spying on and censorship of certain forms of communication. -The War Powers Act granted the president authority to manage the growing size of the federal government by creating, redistributing, and reorganizing government agencies. -The president gained the power to regulate industries and private businesses.

Why was the emergence of the Soviet Union as a global superpower surprising in the aftermath of the Second World War, particularly when compared to the rise of the other world power—the United States?

-The ratio of Soviet to American casualties during the war was nearly 60 to 1. -Fighting on the Eastern Front ravaged Soviet territory and severely impacted the lives of Soviet citizens. Conversely, the U.S. home front did not experience any major fighting.

Identify how the Second World War empowered women in American society.

-The shortage of working-age males due to the war effort enabled women to move from working in the home to joining industrial production. -Some women gained a greater degree of financial independence because of the higher wages they earned in wartime manufacturing industries. -Hundreds of thousands of women served in the armed forces in either the Women's Army Corps (WAC) or the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES).

What does it reveal about the characterization of fascism in Nazi Germany?

-It emphasized the figure of a powerful dictator. -It used propaganda to obtain and maintain power.

Put in chronological order the following events that shaped the postwar world.

-Roosevelt and Churchill meet to draw up the Atlantic Charter, which even the Soviet Union endorsed. -During the Yalta Conference, the "Big Three" agree to hold further talks to discuss the structure of the United Nations. -Soviet troops occupy Berlin before the Americans.

What was Time magazine implying when it asserted that Roosevelt was "waging the first great undeclared war in U.S. history"?

Roosevelt's aid—military, financial, and diplomatic—to the Allied Powers and the embargo on Japan had already amounted to U.S. involvement in the conflict without a declaration of war.

The transition of the U.S. economy from a peacetime economy to a wartime economy was such a significant change that production in entire industries was put on hold to divert resources to the war effort.

True

Put in chronological order the following major events of the Allied war effort.

-American and British leaders meet at the Casablanca Conference and develop a strategy to win the war. -The eventual surrender of 250,000 German and Italian troops leaves the Allies in control of North Africa. -The Allied Powers take control of Sicily and end Benito Mussolini's fascist dictatorship. -At the Tehran Conference, the leaders of the Allied powers plan the invasion of Nazi-occupied France and the Russian invasion of eastern europe. -The allied powers begin the combat portion of Operation Overlord.

Identify the reasons Hitler invaded Poland.

-Hitler wanted to obliterate the Polish civilization. -Hitler wanted to create a pathway for the future invasion of the Soviet Union. -Hitler wanted to keep the Soviet Union from obstructing his plans; the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact, which coincided with the invasion of Poland, helped him maintain amicable relations with the Soviet Union.

How did the war create opportunities for African Americans in the United States?

-Hundreds of thousands of African Americans moved from the South to the West in pursuit of higher-paying military manufacturing jobs. -About a million African Americans served in the armed forces during the war.

How did the neutrality laws implemented by Congress starting in 1935 restrict the ability of the United States to engage in the conflicts of other countries abroad?

-The cash-and-carry system barred American merchant ships from delivering goods to warring nations. -American citizens were not permitted to travel on ships owned by warring nations.

How did the Allied aerial bombardment of Germany impact the Germans' ability to resist Allied encroachment into Nazi-controlled Europe?

-It failed to cripple German wartime industrial production, despite their massive death tolls. -It claimed the lives of approximately 350,000 German civilians, but the bombings were unsuccessful at breaking the German will to fight. -It forced the German armed forces to commit more troops and resources to the defense of the German homefront.

In what ways did the American wartime production needs influence the structure of the postwar American economy?

-Many wartime inventions were incorporated into American domestic life in a way that elevated the average standard of living. -The changes that occurred in the composition of the labor force during the war empowered women and minority groups in the postwar economy. -The government contracts awarded during the war helped transform some large American businesses into massive corporations.

How did the military campaign on the Eastern Front enable the Allied Powers to overcome German resistance in western Europe?

-More German troops were engaged in fighting on the Eastern Front than remained to defend western Europe. -Hitler's attack on the Soviet Union forced the German armed forces to spread themselves thinly across two separate military fronts. -American and British leaders were able to take time meticulously planning and implementing the D-day invasion of Normandy because of the German invasion of the Soviet Union, which preoccupied roughly half of the German army.

Put in chronological order the congressional and presidential events between 1933 and 1945.

-President Roosevelt, in his first inaugural address, promises to keep the United States out of foreign entanglements. -Congress passes the Neutrality Act of 1935, and President Roosevelt signs it into law. -President Roosevelt pushes the first peacetime draft through Congress. -The Lend-Lease Bill is introduced in Congress and quickly passed. -The Empire of Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, killing over 2,400 Americans.

What does it reveal about the importance of media during the war?

-The civilian production of war materials was seen by the United States as essential for victory. -According to the poster, all Americans could contribute to the war effort.

"The prize we seek is to keep 8 million Russians [soldiers] in the war." What does this quotation reveal about the Allied war efforts?

-The conflict between the Soviets and the Germans took some of the pressure off Allied troops, while simultaneously weakening German resistance. -Allied generals understood the necessity of keeping the Soviets in the war to divert German resources to the Eastern Front.

What were the guarantees put forward by the Atlantic Charter, and what impact did they have on American neutrality?

-The Atlantic Charter promised to ensure that all peoples had the right to self-determination. -The Atlantic Charter proposed that the United Nations would replace the League of Nations as the new system of ensuring international security. -The Atlantic Charter stated that it would ensure freedom of the seas after the war.

What factors spurred President Truman to authorize the use of the second atomic bomb, "Fat Man," on the city of Nagasaki only three days after authorizing the use of an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima?

-The Japanese government had failed to surrender in the immediate aftermath of the bombing of Hiroshima. -Soviet troops moved into Japanese-occupied Manchuria.

How did Hitler's rise to power, and the ensuing transition of the German republic into a Nazi-controlled police state, move Europe closer to war?

-The Nazi party promoted elaborate propaganda to help shape public opinion. -The abolition of rival political parties empowered Hitler and the Nazi party to implement their political agenda with minimal resistance. -Hitler established the Gestapo, a secret police force, and Nazi "storm troopers" to coerce public support.

Which of the following were features of the postwar world?

-The Soviet Union became a world power. -India and Pakistan became independent. -The United Nations was formed.

How did Americans respond to Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union?

-The United States began to include the Soviet Union in the Lend-Lease Bill, which further increased the effectiveness of Soviet resistance against German encroachment. -American isolationists argued that Germany's invasion of Russia confirmed that America should stay out of the war and let two dreadful dictatorships fight each other.

Identify the changes to the American government and society that stemmed from the need to increase industrial production for the war.

-The War Production Board directed civilian industries to convert for war production. -The power of the president increased once Congress authorized greater federal control over the economy with the War Powers Act.

How did the development of new technology and tactics help reduce the threat posed by German U-boats to Allied shipping and naval vessels?

-The ability of the British to crack German naval codes made it easier for the Allied forces to track the movements of German U-boats. -The Allied Powers began sending cargo ships together in convoys guarded by warships, which drastically reduced effective U-boat attacks. -The development of effective radar and sonar technology enabled Allied ships to successfully track German U-boats.

Identify the events on the home front brought on by fear and anger toward the war and its effects on American society.

-race riot in Detroit -"war relocation camps" -zoot suit riots -conservative backlash against the New Deal and labor unions, including the passage of the Smith-Connally War Labor Disputes Act

"It's like bubbling molasses down there ... the mushroom is spreading out ... fires are springing up everywhere ... it's like a peep into hell." What does this quotation reveal about the bombing of the Japanese city of Hiroshima?

-the devastation not just to the target of the atomic bomb, but also to its surrounding area -the success of the U.S. effort to leverage atomic bombs in hopes the impact would bring an immediate end to the war -the massive scale of explosion at Hiroshima

Identify the characteristics of fascism as it arose in Italy and Germany prior to the start of World War II.

-use of violence to seize and maintain political power -totalitarian government led by a dictator -use of propaganda as a means of political control -ultranationalist patriotism

Complete the passage to describe the Nazi Holocaust. Stories of the Nazi __1__ began circulating in 1942. Fear of a resurgence of anti-Semitism stopped American officials and __2__ from openly recognizing the truth of the stories. President Roosevelt created the __3__ to deal with survivors of the Holocaust, but the organization only managed to save __4__. All told, the Holocaust claimed the lives of more than 6 million Jews and more than 1 million others.

1 "Final Solution 2 some Jewish leaders 3 War Refugee Board 4 approximately 220,000 people

Complete the passage describing President Truman's decision to order the use of atomic bombs against the Japanese. The United States executed a series of __1__ on the Japanese mainland in preparation for a large-scale military invasion and occupation. The Japanese suffered heavy casualties, but the government refused to __2__. President Truman authorized the use of atomic bombs against Japan to __3__ . After the use of the second atomic bomb on the city of __4__, Japan surrendered, and Truman avoided a __5__.

1 firebombing raids 2 surrender 3 avoid heavy american casualties taking the island 4 nagasaki 5 ground invasion

Complete the passage describing how the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor affected American society. In the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor, over 100,000 __1__ were ousted from their homes and dispossessed of their belongings. They were then sent to __2__, even though greater than 70 percent of those interned were __3__ who were to be confined for __4__ of their lives. The U.S. government did not acknowledge the unjust nature of their confinement until the __5__.

1 nisei 2 "war relocation camps" 3 american citizens 4 four years 5 1980s

Put the following major events in the Allied war effort in chronological order.

1-Allied forces liberate Paris from Nazi military occupation. 2-President Roosevelt is reelected to a fourth term. 3-The "Big Three" Allied leaders meet during the Yalta Conference to determine how the Allied Powers would govern Germany following its unconditional surrender. 4-Berlin falls to the advancing Soviet army. 5-German military leaders declare their unconditional surrender to the Allied Powers.

Put in chronological order the events that led to Congress declaring war on Japan on December 8, 1941.

1-Congress passes the Export Control Act. 2-President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill agree to the terms laid out in the Atlantic Charter. 3-German submarines sink the American warship Kearny and American destroyer Reuben James. 4-The Japanese execute a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.